Sony teases Android Lollipop for the Sony Xperia Z
With every release of Android software, phone owners of devices two years and older get a little nervous because of the possibility that their manufacturer of choice is going to ignore their device in the next round of updates. Not so for Sony, who has started teasing Android Lollipop for the Sony Xperia Z even after only rolling out the […]
The post Sony teases Android Lollipop for the Sony Xperia Z appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
The HTC One M9 is now available for £579 in the UK direct from the HTC website
The HTC One M9 was announced a few weeks ago on March the 1st, and since then it’s been polarizing opinions. Some say it’s just a rehashed M8 while others claim it is the result of a great design that has been refined to perfection. If you are in the UK, you can now order the HTC One M9 directly from the HTC website.
The HTC One M9 (unlocked) can be ordered in GunMetal Grey or Gold-on-Silver colours direct from the manufacturer’s website for £579 ($855) with a choice of shipping options. You can either choose next day delivery via the Royal Mail Special Delivery service for an additional £5.40 ($8) or settle for the free standard delivery that will get the handset to you in 3-5 working days.
If you are due for an upgrade or you just want a new phone and you aren’t sure if the M9 is the One for you, you can read our review of the HTC One M9 right here.
Source: HTC
Come comment on this article: The HTC One M9 is now available for £579 in the UK direct from the HTC website
Xiaomi announces new $15 Mi Smart Scale that will work with your iPhone
Xiaomi is on a roll today, announcing the new Mi Smart Scale for just $15. If you’re after new scales in China with smartphone connectivity, look no further.
The new scales sport 50g precision and can measure in either kg or lbs. But since these are no mere generic scales, purchasers will have the ability to track weight and BMI with the Mi Fit app. The Mi Smart Scale is compatible with iOS and Android.
An LED display hides behind a white glass platform, awakening when required for a Bluetooth 4.0 connection to be made. It’s positive to see Xiaomi aggressively launch a new product in its connected devices line-up to rival competitor offerings.
There’s no word yet as to when the Mi Smart Scale will be launching in other markets, but we’ll let you know as soon as we hear more.
Source: Facebook (Mi)
Google Glass app can help socially awkward penguins speak in public
Fear of public speaking is quite common, and chances are you either know someone who has it or you suffer from the phobia yourself. This smart glass app called Rhema, created by researchers from the Human-Computer Interaction Group at the University of Rochester, was designed for people who need a bit of help addressing crowds. Rhema can listen as you speak, upload your recorded voice to a server, analyze its pace and volume, and then give you feedback in real time. To test it out, the team had 30 subjects try out several different feedback systems installed on Google Glass. These include ones that shows a traffic lights-like scheme and another that uses graphs.
By the end of the testing period, they determined that the most effective way to get the message across is to display words on screen. For instance, it can show “Louder” if you’re speaking too softly or “Faster” if you’re too slow. The team even believes that live feedback could also benefit sales people or those who find it tough to socialize in daily life, like those with Asperger’s or autism. You can get Rhema for free from its official project page, though don’t forget that it can’t help you out if you don’t have Google Glass.
Filed under: Wearables
Source: University of Rochester, EurekAlert!
Spending 20 minutes underwater suggests the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is waterproof
The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is not marketed as a waterproof device, nor is it even suggested that it is water resistant. But as one YouTuber discovered, the S6 Edge might just have a hidden ability after it spends over 20 minutes in a bowl of water completely submerged while switched on: yes, the Samsung […]
The post Spending 20 minutes underwater suggests the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is waterproof appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Next-gen Nvidia Shield Portable gets Bluetooth and WiFi certified
The Nvidia Shield Portable has been around for a quite a while now, so it should come as no real surprise to learn that Nvidia is planning to release a new version of the device with updated hardware and firmware.
According to the Bluetooth and WiFi certification websites, the refreshed Nvidia Portable will include the following features:
- Model number: P2523
- Android 5.0 Lollipop
- 801.11 a/b/g/n/ac Dual-band 2.4GHz/5GHz WiFi and WiFi Direct
- Bluetooth 4.1
- Firmware version 3.10.61
No other details about the rest of the next-gen Shield Portable were available, but it would be surprising if it didn’t arrive with a higher resolution display, more RAM and Nvidia’s beefy Tegra X1 processor (like the rumoured refresh of the Nvidia Shield Tablet). What features would you like to see included?
Source: Bluetooth.org
Via: Juggly.cn
Come comment on this article: Next-gen Nvidia Shield Portable gets Bluetooth and WiFi certified
WhatsApp calling now rolling out to everyone, no invite needed
After a lengthy invite-only test run (and rumors going back a year), WhatsApp is now finally making the new calling feature available to all users.
Activating voice calling in WhatsApp initially required a “hack” of sorts, as well as receiving a call from someone who already had the feature. Now it seems that the feature is openly available with the latest version of WhatsApp for Android, 2.12.19, without needing to get a call first.
Once you install or update WhatsApp to 2.12.19, you should see a Calls log tab in the top menu, while initiating a new call is as simply as tapping the “plus” button. From there, the call interface is straightforward. You can hang up, activate the speaker, mute, and switch to chat, and that’s pretty much it. Calls connect almost instantly and sound quality is crisp, without interruptions.
There’s a chance that this feature is activated server-side (so it may take a while until everyone gets it), but we received it on multiple devices, without having got a call first. Plus, tips and reports on Android forums suggest the feature is now rolling out far and wide, so it looks like the real deal.
Version 2.12.19 of WhatsApp can be downloaded from the Play Store or from WhatsApp’s website. If you opt for the latter, you will need to enable installing apps from unknown sources before installing it.
Let us know if WhatsApp calling is active for you.
Huawei’s profits rise by 33% in 2014
Increase in profits and revenue attributed to global demand for 4G infrastructure along with strong smartphone sales.
Ancient eye potion proves highly effective against MRSA
What do you get when you mix leeks, garlic, wine and bull gall, then ferment it in a copper pot for nine days? In the Anglo-Saxon era, this concoction made a terrific treatment for eye styes but recently researchers have found it equally effective against the scourge of modern medicine: antibiotic-resistant MRSA “superbugs.” Freya Harrison, a microbiologist at the University of Nottingham, UK working with Dr Christina Lee, an Anglo-Saxon expert from the School of English, found the ancient recipe in Bald’s Leechbook, an Old English medical compendium. The two decided to test its against modern skin infections. Using the oldest heirloom vegetable varieties she could find, Harrison brewed up the recipe, then let it stand the requisite time. What she poured out displayed some incredible antibiotic characteristics.
“It was self-sterilising,” Harrison told New Scientist. That is, all the bacteria which had hitched a ride into the bottle aboard the dirt stuck to the vegetables, was dead at the end of the fermentation period. And, when applied to skin lesions from MRSA-infected mice, the stye mix killed 90 percent of present bacteria. Interestingly, Harrison discovered that the individual ingredients didn’t work nearly as well as the combined mixture. Harrison and her team hopes that this discovery will lead to alternative treatments to today’s standard prescription of antibiotics (and lots of them). She is slated to deliver her findings at the Society for General Microbiology conference in Birmingham, UK later this week. But, like injecting medically-available chemicals into your eyes for temporary night vision, just because you can do it at home doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to try.
Filed under: Science
Via: New Scientist
Source: University of Nottingham
How to enable Dropbox integration into the file manager on your Chromebook
Yo dawg, we heard you liked cloud storage on your Chromebook so we put more cloud in your cloud.
Well, we didn’t do it of course, but Chrome developer Yoichiro Tanaka has found a way to integrate all of your Dropbox into the file manager app on your Chromebook. Or Chromebox. Or that crazy thing that runs Chrome OS from LG that I secretly want.
The good news is that it works very well, even at version one. The great news is that it’s super-easy to install and use. We like easy. You like easy. Have a look and see just how easy it is.
AIVAnet 